Leather-seasoning machine.



No. 809,718. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906. W. H. MOORE.

LEATHERSEASONING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1902.

'3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

llfiineases:

REM

Inventor No. 809,718. PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

W. H. MOOREJ LEATHER SEASONING MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 2, 1902.-

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Witnesses: Invenfidfl J4. 6.13m.

W. H. MOORE. LEATHER SEASONING MACHINE.

APPLICATION I'ILBD JAN. 2, 1902 llfz'tne asses: 1711/9 PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

ESHEBTS-SHEET 3.

provide in \VILLIAM H. MOORE, OF SALEM,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO MOORE LEATHER MACHINE COMPANY, OF KITTERY, MAINE.

LEATHER-SEASONING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed January 2, 1902. Serial No. 88,005.

To all) whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM H. MOORE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salem, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Leather-Seasoning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements which are specially designed to be used in connection with the leather coloring or seasoning machine disclosed in my Patent No. 693,561, dated February 18, 1902. \Vhile the machine disclosed in said patent operates in a manner which is perfectly satisfactory in almost every particular, yet it has been found that in practice the workmen are liable to throw the skins onto the bars of the eonveyer so carelessly that the skins will not be doubled evenly thereabout, thus causing the pertions of the flesh side of the skin which are not covered by the opposite half thereof to be colored or crocked by the pad toward which the exposed flesh portion faces as the skin is drawn between the pads.

The object of the present invention is to T aforesaid machine with means for preventing all possibility of any portion of the flesh sides of the skins from being crocked or otherwise defaced by passing through my said machine, however carelessly the skins may be doubled about the bars of the conveyer. I accomplish this object by providing each bar with a thin flexible sheet metal apron, which is freely pivoted thereon at its edges and is thereby interposed be tween the flesh-surface of the skin and the pads when a skin is folded over the bar. I further provide in connection with said aprons a set of pads which remove the coloring-matter from any portion of the surfaces of the aprons which may not have been covered by the skin as the aprons were drawn between I the pads, so that when the next skin is ressed against an apronthe flesh side there of will not be crocked by the coloring liquid which may previously have been applied to the apron.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal crosssection thereof. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the front end thereof. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the end of one set 1 of pads. Fig. 5 is a detail view of one of the aprons.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is the same in most essential particulars as the machine disclosed in said application, except that I have substituted two sets of pads 4, 5, 6, and 7, similar to those previously described for the brushes which were shown as located midway of the machine.

The parallel carrier-bars 1 are secured at their ends to chains driven in any well-known and convenient manner, as shown. A series of fixed pads 2, 4,6, and S are secured face upward between the sides of the machine, and the faces of a series of pivoted pads 3, 5, 7, and 9 rest on the faces of said fixed pads, respectively. A tank 18 is arranged above pads 33, and the coloring liquid is discharged therefrom through perforated pipe 17 and through the perforated back of pad 3 into the pad and thence into the pad 2 below it, so that both are equally saturated. Shelves 16 support said chains and guide said bars between said pads, the pivoted pads being lifted to permit the passage of the bars or skincarriers. Aprons or skinsupports 11, of thin flexible sheet metal, are pivoted at one edge to each bar by means of straps 12, which pass about a rounded portion at each end of said bar, (see Figs. 1 and 5,) so that the aprons may swing freely completely about the bars to which they are pivoted on the bearings forme by said rounded portions. Each apron has a thin strip 13 of steel riveted to its pivoted edge, and the ends of its straps 12 are riveted to said strip and to the apron. I also provide two fixed cleaning-pads 14 and 15 beneath the coloring-pads, between which the bars 1 are carried as they return to the front end of the machine.

As the aprons are of imperforate sheet metal, they are absolutely impervious to liquid, so that liquid applied to one face of an apron cannot pass therethrough and be applied to a skin which is resting against the opposite face thereof. These aprons are somewhat wider than and more than half the length of any skin which is to be passed through the machine, so that when a skin is doubled over a skin-support with its flesh sides resting against both faces thereof and is then passed between the liquid-applying de- 10, the latter being.

under some conditions but little liquid is aptions and the supports be simply drawn over the lower cleani g-pad 14, thereby cleaning the only face which is ordinarily covered by the liquid to a material extent.

The flexibility of the aprons 1 1 is an important feature of my invention, as they are thereby enabled to bend, so as to correspond to any unevenness in the surfaces of the pads, so that the pads will apply the color equally over the surface of the skins. I have found that a stifi apron is very objectionable, as it is impossible for the pads to do their work properly when such a construction is used, although I consider such a construction within the scope of my invention. The particular method of pivoting the aprons to the bars is also highly advantageous, for as the sheet metal of which the aprons are made is very thin and flexible they would not stay in shape at their pivoted edge without the employment of numerous hinges midway of their length. These intermediate hinges I found to be highly objectionable, as they would leave marks on the skin wherever the came in contact therewith. I avoid all these difliculties by securing the stiff reinforcingpiece 13 to the pivoted edge of each apron and arranging the hinges or straps adjacent the ends of the bars and outside the points to which the edges of the skins come when they are folded about the bars. By having the hinges beyond the ends of the pads (see Fig. 3) the wearing of the latter by the former is avoided.

I prefer to have both cleaning-pads fixed, although one of them may be made movable, as the distance which their surfaces must be separated is constant and not varied by the varying thicknesses of the skins, which are taken off before they pass to the cleaningpads. The cleaning-pads are made readily removable, so that they may be easily changed when necessary.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In a leather-coloring machine the combination of a carrier for the skins comprising a bar and means for conducting the same in a predetermined path, coloring means which are arranged on opposite sides of said path and are adapted to apply the color to the skins as they are carried doubled over said bar, and a flexible apron which is connected to said bar at one edge.

e 2. In a leather-coloring machine the com vices or pads the pad which applies liquid to the grain side of one half-section of the skin cannot also apply the liquid to any portion of the flesh side of the other section thereof on account of the imperforate sheet of metal which is interposed therebetween. It follows, therefore, that however carelessly a workman may throw a skin over the edge of a skin-support of the carrier or however irregular the two sections of a skin may be i when folded in the middle the portions of the flesh-surfaces of one section of the skin which are not directly opposite some portion of the flesh-surface of the other section will always be protected by the support from the action of the pad toward which an otherwise ex posed flesh-surface faces.

As the portions of the skin-supports which are not covered by the skins will be covered to a greater or less extent with the liquid dressing as they pass between the liquidapplying pads, the flesh side of the succeeding skins which are placed on the supports will be colored or crocked to a certain extent by this previously-applied dressing unless some i means is provided to prevent it. For this reason I provide the cleaning-pads 14 and 15, between which the supports are drawn as they are returned to the front of the machine d after the skins have been removed therefrom. These pads bear firmly against both faces of the supports, and as the pads are very absorbent they will remove practically all the coloring-matter from the supports, so that when the next skin is doubled about a support the flesh side of the skin will not be damaged, whatever different position the skin may assumefrom that occupied by the previously-colored skin. It occasionally happens that a support will be carried between the pads empty, in which case each face of thev support will be covered with coloringmatter; but the entire surface of each face will be cleaned as readily as portions thereof.

s in my machine the liquid dressing is supplied to the upper pad 3 and is transferred to the lower pad 2 when the faces of the two pads come together, the exposed or uncovered portions of the faces of the skin-supports or aprons which are next the upper pad 3 when they pass between said pads 2 and 3 will be covered with much more liquid than their opposite faces, for the reason that the liquid drips down from the pad 3 onto the support, while the skin holds the support above the pad 2 to a certain extent. For this reason a bar and means for conducting the same in a predetermined path, coloring means which are arranged on opposite sides of said path and are adapted to apply the color to the skins as they are carried doubled over said bar, and a flexible sheet-metal apron which is pivot- .ally connected to said bar at one edge.

3. In a leather-coloring machine the complied to the uncovered faces of the supports which pass next the lower pad 2, the extent to which such faces are covered by the liquid being dependent largely on the thickness of the skin, the flexibility of the skin-supports, and the softness of the pad 2. It will be apparent, therefore, that the upper cleaningpad 15 may be omitted under certain condibination of a carrier for the skins comprising bination of a carrier for the skins comprising a bar and means for conducting the same in a predetermined path, coloring means which are arranged on opposite sides of said path and are adapted to apply the color to the skins as they are carried doubled over said bar, a flexible sheet-metal apron, a stiffening-strip which is secured to one edge of said apron, a pair of hinges which connect the ends of said strip and said apron to said bar so that said apron may swing with respect thereto.

4. In a leather-coloring machine the combination of a carrier for the skins, comprising two endless chains, a carrier-bar which is connected to said chains, means for driving said chains and for conducting said rod in a pred etermined path, coloring means which are ar ranged on opposite sides of said path and are adapted to apply the coloring to the skins as they are carried doubled over said bar, an apron which is connected to said bar at one edge, so that said bar may rotate with respect thereto, and means for removing the coloringmatter from the surface of said apron as it returns to again pass between the color-applymg means.

5. In a leather-coloring machine the combination of a carrier for the skins, comprising two endless chains, a carrier-bar which is con nected to said chains, means for driving said chains and for conducting said rod in a predetermined path, coloring means which are ar ranged on opposite sides of said path and are adapted to apply the coloring to the skins as they are carried doubled over said bar, an apron which is connected to said bar at one edge, so that said bar may rotate with respect thereto, and means for removing the coloringmatter from the surface of said apron as it returns to again pass between the color-applying means, said means comprising a pair of stationary absorbent-pads between which the bar and apron are conducted by said chains.

6. In a leather-working machine, the combination with a pair of liquid-applying devices, means for supplying them with liquid material, and a pair of cleaning devices, of a two-faced skin-support, and means for moving it between the liquid-applyingldevices and the cleaning devices.

7. In a leather-working machine the combination with a pair of liquid-applying devices, means for supplying them with liquid material, and a pair of absorbent-pads, of a two-faced skin-support, and means for moving it between theliquid-applying devices and said pads.

S. In a leather-working machine the combination with a carrier, a two-faced skin-support which is pivotally connected thereto, a pair of liquid-ap plying devices, a pair of cleaning devices, and means for-conducting said support between said liquid-applying devices and said cleaning devices successively.

9. In a leather-working machine, the combination of a pair of liquid-applying devices, means for supplying them with liquid material, a flexible two-faced skin-support, and means for moving it between said liquid-applying devices, substantially as described.

10. In a leather working machine, the combination of a pair of liquid-applying devices, means for supplying them with liquid material, a flexible two-faced skinsuppor t, a pair of endless chains to which said flexible skin-support is connected, and means for moving said chains to carry the skin-support between said liquid-applying devices, substantially as described. I

11. In a leather-working machine, the combination of a pair of liquid-applying devices, means for supplying them with liquid material, a flexible two-faced skin-support, a pair of endless chains to which said flexible skin-support is pivotally connected, and means for moving said chains to carry the skin-support between said liquid-applymg devices, substantially as described.

12. In a leather-working machine, the combination of a pair of liquid-applying devices, and means for conducting'liquid material thereto, an impervious skin-support having oppositely-disposed faces each of greater area than half the area of one side of the skins to be placed thereon, and means for moving said support between said liquid-applying.

devices, substantially as described.

13. In a leather -working machine, the combination of a pair of liquid-applying devices, means for supplying them with liquid material, a two-faced skin-support and means for moving it between said liquid-applying devices, and a cleaning device over which said skin-support is drawn, substantially as described.

14. In a leather-working machine, the combination of a pair of liquid-applying devices, means for supplying them with liquid material, a two-faced skin-support and means for moving it between said liquid-applying devices, and a stationary cleaning device over which said skin-support is drawn, substantially as described.

15. In a leather-working machine, the combination of a pair of liquid-applying devices disposed one above the other, means for conducting liquid material to the uppermost of said devices, a two-faced skin-sup them, a pair of liquidapplying devices between which said support is drawn as it is advanced from said front to said rear sprockets, and a stationary cleaning device for one face of said support over which said support is drawn as it is returned from said rear to said front sprockets, substantially as described.

17. A leather-working machine comprising a two-faced skin-support, means for moving the same in a predetermined path, means arranged on opposite sides of said path for applying liquid material to a skin as itis carried by said support, and means, likewise arranged, for removing the liquid from portions of the support uncovered by the skin, substantially as described.

18. In a leather-working machine, a pair of liquid-applying devices and means for conducting liquid material thereto, a pair of flexible-faced pads, a two-faced skin-support, and means for moving it between said liquid-applying devices and said pads successively, substantially as described.

19. In a leather working machine, the

combination of a pair of liquid-applying devices and means for supplying them with liquid material, a two-faced non-absorbent skinsupport, and means for conducting the same between said liquid-applying devices, substantially as described.

20. A leather-working machine comprising a pair of liquid-applying devices and means for supplying them with liquid material, a pair of combined rubbing-in and cleaning devices, a pair of independently-cleaning devices, a two-faced skin-support, and means for moving it between said liquid-applying devices, said combined rubbing-in and cleaning devices and said independent cleaning devices successively, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have afiiXed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WM. H. MOORE.

Witnesses:

LOUIS H. HARRIMAN, G.E,UOKER. 

